Inactive

NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Launch Service Program has a requirement for payload processing service from a facility located on Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California for the Sur... NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Launch Service Program has a requirement for payload processing service from a facility located on Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission. The payload processing facility (PPF) have unique assets outfitted with highly specialized systems to process satellites, maintain the appropriate levels of cleanliness and safely handle the unique hazards of space flight hardware. These systems include the environmental and monitoring systems, handling equipment meeting space flight hardware ratings and cleanliness, safety monitoring equipment for hazards, and communications equipment unique to the space program and are already linked to the NASA facilities for launch operations. NASA/KSC intends to issue a sole source contract to acquire the service from Astrotech Space Operations Inc. (ASO). There are only the three known PPFs located on VSFB that have the capabilities to process payloads. Out of the three, ASO is the only one with availability in its facility to support the dates required to process the payload to meet the launch date in November 2022. Thereby, the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is FAR Part 6.302-1, Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1). This requirement meets the definition of a commercial item in accordance with FAR 2.101. Therefore, the resulting acquisition will use the procedures in FAR 13.5—Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items, which permits contracting for commercial items on a sole source basis. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort electronically via email to zuleimy.j.alicea@nasa.gov not later than 4:00 PM Eastern Time on October 13, 2021. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this acquisition on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html